杏吧传媒

Belle (she/her) is a Vietnamese American clinician, community builder, and educator鈥攂orn and raised in Portland, Maine (on Abenaki and Wabanaki lands). Belle graduated with her MSW from the University of New England as a Care for the Underserved Pathways AHEC Scholar with an Interprofessional Education Honors Distinction and a certificate in Aging Diversity. Additionally, she holds an MS in Media Science from Boston University and a BA in Communication with a minor in Media Studies from the 杏吧传媒 (go Huskies!). Belle is pursuing her PhD in Human Development at Lesley University while providing care as a clinician in private group practice.

Throughout her life and educational training, she often thought about how different cultures considered access to care. For example, there is no word for 鈥渕ental illness鈥� in Vietnamese; all that exists is 鈥渂峄噉h t芒m th岷�n,鈥� which translates to madness and carries shame. Belle wants to give others more through destigmatization with her clients, empowering them to seek healing and support. Nationally, and in Maine, there is not enough representation of people of color in mental health (less than 5% nationally practicing).

Therapeutically, Belle believes that our relationships and how we engage within them shape who we are and create our outlooks on life. When she is not in the classroom or office catching up on reading, you can probably find her in search of the next oat milk latte with her dog Casco.